I rubbed the skin of his hand with my thumb and looked into his eyes, those predator's eyes. He was tenderly smiling at me with closed lips, which took me by surprise. Memories of the night invaded me. I blushed and took a deep breath.

"So..." I glanced briefly at my hand holding his and returned to his eyes. "Look, I'm not jealous, but... Who is she?"

He smiled fleetingly, showing off his short fangs, and my mind was flooded with memories again. The scratches on my lips and the rest of my body stabbed slightly. I took another deep breath as he began to explain.

"She has been a friend since I was younger." He shrugged. "For being small and fearful, others enjoyed teasing her until I found out and gave them what they deserved." He looked out the window towards the training ground we could observe from here and saw me again. "From that moment on, I sometimes walked with her, accompanying her. I taught her to defend herself little by little. The teachers found out, and they had me as the favorite in fights, in addition to being trained by Orion."

I snorted and raised an eyebrow.

"And Ursa took you away from her," I commented.

He smiled with embarrassment.

"Well, I didn't know that, but I do know there is a rule among girls that old women teach them about: if a guy has a future union already agreed, the girls should move away. Which I think is a bit of a stretch. Also, nothing is official until the parents agree, so..."

I chuckled.

"Wow. They set aside and take care of their men like lionesses."

"Hey, I'm only yours," he assured, taking my face and caressing my cheek.

I blushed. It was true. I already had everything of him to myself. What more did I want?

"Sorry. It's just that it became very obvious to me that she... Nothing." But I remembered those words didn't work with him. I sighed.

"She what?" he asked, confused.

Didn't he realize that she was in love with him?

"She appreciates you very much. You were her friend." I shrugged, uncomfortable. "And, well, she doesn't like Ursa for having to walk away from you for her sake."

He gestured, accepting what I had said, considering it true.

"Yes, maybe..." He glanced at the window, looked back at me, and smiled sweetly. "I thought you were upset because I didn't tell her I joined you."

"Oh no. Don't worry, I understand. You must have your reasons," I said, ashamed.

"Because of the state she's in, I didn't think it was convenient for her to assimilate the fact that an evolved could unite with a human," he explained, keeping that slight and sweet smile. "But everyone is going to have to know sooner or later."

I nodded. What a fool I was, worrying about people who judged me for a relationship with him without considering that he was in the same situation. He was the evolved man who had bonded with a human.

"You're a very good person," I murmured. "That's why they appreciate you... and so am I. I do love you very much." I let out a long sigh, shaking off my slight tension. "You are a natural protector, huh?" 

He leaned down and brought his forehead to mine.

"Maybe, but now I'm here to protect you and give you everything in my power." He separated.

"By the way," I said after smiling like a teenage girl in love. "What is going on with Max?"

"Er..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I know. He's upset, but I'm not paying attention to him. It's that yesterday I ran away and threatened him."

"You just told him you weren't interested in dating other women."

He looked at me with some embarrassment.

"Yeah, that... and..."

I raised an eyebrow, smiling with amusement. What else had this boy done?

"And?"

"Aaand... I implied that if he dared ask you out, I would break all his bones...?" he confessed and tensed his lips, looking down. I burst out laughing. Now I knew why Max was so upset. He was putting it to the test as if it were a game. Men. Sirius put on a severe look for a few seconds. "He hasn't been bothering you, has he?"

I denied it silently.

"You are a jealous boy," I teased, taking his shirt's collar, bringing him to me, and kissing him.

"I'm not," he whispered, giving me another kiss. "I just don't want you to be disturbed."

"I'm fine," I whispered in response. "I only love you."

He nodded, keeping his smile.

"I do love you too. Let's go?" He pulled away, taking my hand. "I want to end this shift soon."

I smiled more.

"Yes, me too."

We went downstairs, and he continued with what he had to do. They agreed that they would take Symphony out of town the following day, but first, Sirius and the other evolved men would accompany me to speak to someone close to the governor. 

Maybe they exaggerated when it came to safety issues, but it was a plan Max was putting together to find out what happened to my parents, so there was a reason why.

***

Rosy said goodbye to Acrux with a slight smile that he reciprocated. It was time to go back and have dinner, although I remembered the night before and the morning, and my cheeks began to heat up, indicating that I had blushed again.

"Hey, young lady," said a deep voice to Rosy at the same time that he held her with a light touch on the shoulder. She turned, recognizing Acrux. "Would you like to have dinner with us?"

Rosy looked at me as if asking for an opinion, and I smiled. There was nothing wrong. She turned right away.

"Sure," she replied, smiling.

They left.

I sighed, and we continued walking around the fenced field to reach the hospital's back entrance. The sun barely illuminated the sky. It would soon be dark. The silence was reassuring. I glanced at Sirius; he seemed calm, watching the empty field, or rather the National forest that prolonged out on the other side. Would he miss contact with nature? Would he miss his city?

Maybe it would have been good for him to accompany Symphony so that he could see his parents... Perhaps I could tell him to do it. It was the least I could do for him. He would not be alone, so Orion wouldn't be able to attack him... Maybe. Because of me, he was here, understanding and taking care of me while I became insecure after whatever small thing happened.

No, no. Orion was still making threats. It meant that perhaps the leading elders had not reversed his punishment. If something happened to Sirius, I was never going to forgive myself...

"You're good?" his soft, deep voice interrupted.

"Yes," I replied slowly. "Well..." I confessed in a weak voice, "I was just thinking." I looked into his eyes. "After eating, I tell you, okay?"

He raised his eyebrows in concern.

"Something happened? Did I make something? Is it because of what happened earlier?"

I chuckled.

"No, no. It's not a bad thing, don't worry."

I stood up on my toes and gave him a fleeting kiss on the corner of his lips. His breath mingled with mine, and his scent threatened to engulf me, my body throbbing again at the memories. 

Again, I was walking beside him with an annoying blush on my face.

***

I smiled when I saw what was in the cafeteria: chocolate cake. I didn't hesitate to take a slice and give it to Sirius. Of course, he loved it.

"I had thought about trying to talk to the governor again," I commented. "Anyway, I was thinking of asking you to come with me..."

"That relieves me." He gave me his serious look. "I would have been worried if you didn't tell me and something happened to you again..." He glanced briefly at his food. "It distressed me. I may not show it much, but it did. I was so worried..."

"Sorry," I mumbled, feeling guilty.

"Why do you ask for forgiveness?" he asked, confused. "It's not your fault... Rather, you forgive me." Now I was the confused one. He was staring at me, catching me with his eyes that seemed to look to the depths of my soul. "Maybe there are things that I don't do that you would like me to do. Yes, maybe I'm stubborn, I don't know, maybe I've hurt you more than I think. I want to learn more. I do what my feeling dictates, but maybe I'm not very expressive either, and..."

"No," I interrupted. "You don't need to change. You're perfect like that. I love you like this," I confessed at the end, feeling my face hot.

Why was this happening to me? I had never been like this. The men I was with didn't make me shy. They were normal relationships, although they didn't last, nor did I remember them anymore. But Sirius disarmed me with that look. 

I lived blushing because of him now. How quickly everything had happened since I met him seemed uncertain. Again, I was terrified to think it was too good to be true and that something would soon happen. I didn't want just a moment with him. I wanted my whole life with him.

"Me too," he muttered, his green feline eyes flashing something more than sweetness. It was love. I was mesmerized. "I love you with all those things that make you be you. You are not just a human to me. You are my human, mine..." A barely perceptible blush appeared on his cheeks. "More mine than in the ways I could ever imagine." He probably remembered the night before and, of course, the morning. "Maybe today Max was also upset because I was distracted, and it is that I can't..." He closed his eyes, sighed, and smiled more, looking at me again deeply, stealing my breath. "I can't stop thinking about it..." I blushed more. "And I can still feel you on top of me," he murmured low, sounding almost like a purr, sexy. "I've done it all day."

I looked at the tabletop and put my hands on my cheeks. I had to tell him about it.

"Shall we go to our room?" I barely murmured; my voice was tiny.

"Oh, yes, you wanted to talk about something..."

I nodded and stood up. He followed me. 

I took his hand while we were on our way. I felt the ring on his finger and smiled. I felt as if that object suddenly comforted me and cleared my nervousness. It symbolized our union, telling the curious that he was mine and I was his. I didn't have to ask anyone's permission if I wanted to go through his body one more night, that he was here, where he always should be: by my side.

Entering the room, he closed the door and turned on the light. I spoon around, hanging onto his neck, and covering his lips with mine. My body throbbed at the contact with his. His warmth and breath enveloped me; the scent of his lips wet from my kisses began to besot me. I took hold of his lower lip, enjoying the softness and thickness of it and then slowly releasing it and pulling myself away a few inches.

"I love you," I whispered.

I could see how he smiled.

"I love you..." he answered, separated a little more. "Well, what were you going to tell me?"

I lowered my gaze for a few seconds and was lost again in his piercing eyes.

"How do you see me now?" I felt nervous again. "I mean... after what we did. Has your image of me changed?"

He looked at me, confused, as if he didn't understand why I asked that question.

"Of course not," he replied. "Why would I see you differently?"

"Uh, well..." My hands ran over his collar unconsciously. "What... what we did..." I muttered. "I asked you to undress me and... I gave myself to you like that..."

He shook his head, smiling tenderly at me.

"You are my eternal companion. You can do whatever you like with me: laugh, talk, give me kisses..." He showed a charming and mischievous smile. "... Or undress. I love everything you do."

I stood up and kissed his tempting manly lips again. My fingers tangled in his silky hair. I was getting used to being on the tip of my feet as a ballet dancer because he surrounded my waist with his strong arms, so I stopped dealing with my weight, also getting used to the gentle brush of his fangs. 

I gently pulled away again to ask. "Well... don't you want to know what exactly we did?" 

He smiled.

"I already know. Do you remember what I told you? It's about the kids, right?"

I hugged him and felt somewhat sad and embarrassed by what I would say to him.

"Yes... it is that, but... we won't have them yet. Besides..." I looked up. "I don't know if we can either... for reasons of genetic compatibility." He drew his eyebrows together, but I couldn't tell if it was confusion or sadness. Anyway, neither option was good. "I tried to tell you when you told me you wanted to join me," I added wistfully. "I also wanted to talk to you about this before we did it, but... last night, I couldn't stop."

I felt ashamed for having let myself go by my instincts and having dragged him with me. Now I didn't know what he would think. Maybe he would regret it or something. I didn't regret doing it, but I did regret not explaining it.

"We won't have children then...?" he murmured as if he was explaining it to himself.

"I don't know, I mean..." I took a deep breath. "The pills." I tightened my lips for a few seconds. "One of the ones I have taken is for not conceiving a child at the moment." He arched an eyebrow. Ugh, how would I explain without sounding like I had only wanted to enjoy his body and the moment? How complicated. "What I mean is... Surely, in your town, they tell you to do it exclusively for reproductive purposes, but I gave myself to you for another reason." His eyes kept asking me for explanations. "I love you. Call it instinct if you like. Maybe it is. I don't know. I just know that I wanted to give myself to you and travel your body, make you feel my love." A slight tremor ran through my lips.

He drew his eyebrows a little closer.

"Why do you speak as if you are afraid?" he asked, concerned.

"Fear... that you think I just want to enjoy the moment or something like that... without taking into account the true function of that act. I don't know..."

"Let's see. According to what you tell me, I understand that humans don't do it only for that purpose, right?" I nodded. "They do it for love..."

"Yeah, well, sometimes that's not why either," I meditated out loud and reacted. "But I do!" I clarified, worried.

He smiled—a smile at last.

"I might not be a regular human, but, believe me, I also felt the same as you," he confessed, making me smile as well.

"For real?"

"Yes, don't worry," he assured me while hugging me again, lifting me momentarily from the ground, and breathing deeply into my hair. "I love you, and I also feel that excessive desire to kiss you and touch you everything." My heart accelerated. What a direct way of speaking. It made me shudder unintentionally in a good way at the idea. I felt him smile close to my skin. "I like it when I say something, and your pulse races."

Oh my. He could also detect it by being so close to me.

"What can I do? You are such a seducer. You melt me,​​" I purred against his ear.

"So, seductive, huh?" he replied, amused. "That use for that word is kind of new. I read a little bit. And, well, considering that you are the one who seduces me..."

I let out a short and slight laugh and looked at him with an innocent face.

"Me, young man?"

He smiled even more, and his feline eyes flashed playfully. He was my object of worship. What did it matter if they told me he was a terrifying evolved man with predatory eyes and fangs and that I couldn't be with him because of that? For me, it was the least.

"Yes, you with your way of being, talking to me, kissing me, touching me." He arched an eyebrow. "With your beautiful body, skin, lips that made me blush when they touched my cheek for the first time..."

"I couldn't help it. I liked you since I saw you." I was smiling, but I suddenly remembered something that had much to do with the main subject. "Um... will you excuse me? I must take a pill," I said, feeling that I started to blush again.

"Sure." He released me from his embrace. "I'll take advantage of taking a quick shower." He separated from me, and the heat of his body began to leave me. "I'm full of dust, sorry."

I shook my head, hinting that he didn't have to ask for forgiveness. I smiled and blew him a kiss. He smiled too.

"By the way," he said as he rummaged in his pants pocket and took out a bar of small chocolate. "I got this." I received it with enthusiasm. "I bought it for you on the way back here after intervening in that security building. Cocoa reminds me of you too."

"Thank you. I love it... but weren't they scared of you?"

"Several of us entered with helmets. They would have thought we were normal soldiers."

I laughed. He stepped into the shower, and I sighed happily. I should have gone in with him but waiting gave me the advantage to fix my things. I observed his white shirt on the floor next to the bed. In our morning haste, he had left it there. I picked it up and put it on the desk chair.

I took the pill and then sat down to enjoy the chocolate. I left some on the nightstand for him, and another idea ran through my mind. He said I could do whatever I wanted, even undress in front of him. I giggled at that thought.

***

He came out of the shower, bare-chested and in the soft fabric pants he slept in. I smiled when I remembered those days when I saw him come like this to lie down next to me. He looked at me, smiling. I was sitting sideways in the chair. The back of it was facing him. I rested my chin on my forearm that was on it, admiring his body. He sat on the bed, facing me.

"What?" 

"I remembered," I mumbled while looking at him, "how I like to see you like this." He shuddered with a short, silent laugh. "Your body tells me: come here, make me yours..."

He raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly, resting his hands on the mattress.

"What are you waiting for then? Come here," he purred seductively.

My heart raced, and I stood up as my cheeks filled with color. He stared at me with total surprise and fascination. His eyes swept me up and down, also blushed. I had undressed and put only his shirt on. I never imagined being so daring, but it was him. With him, everything was worth it.

His feline eyes burned with desire, begging me to take him back to heaven. Indeed, I looked at him the same way. I walked up to the mattress and straddled him. His hot breath mixed with mine, and we kissed intensely. 

I stifled a soft moan against his mouth as I felt his hot but fresh skin against mine. I stroked his freshly washed, damp hair, shapely back, and chest. Our breathing had accelerated in no time, his skin burning hotter with each touch. His hands roamed up my thighs and up under the shirt.

I took off the garment. He grabbed me and lay back on the bed with a quick, agile movement, making me chuckle. He went down, kissing me, his fangs brushed but not plunged. He was more careful with that, just as he had said. He ran through my body, kissing in a torturous, slow, and delicious way, making me moan short of breath and want more.

He went down slowly, licking and kissing, reached my thighs, and gave me a soft bite on the inside, making me gasp in surprise and pleasure that shot through my body. I realized he was looking towards that area, and I suddenly blushed, contracting my legs.

"Hey, naughty," I said, laughing.

He smirked, stealing my breath and crawling to me, graceful as a predator. His arm slipped underneath me, and he carried me up smoothly with no problem, pressing me against his body and taking me with him. His hands roamed all over my body when I realized I was on him while he kissed me passionately.

"You fascinate me. I want to explore you more," he whispered between gasps.

"First, let me make you mine," I asked him.

I bit down on his lower lip and pulled away, grabbing the hem of his pants and pulling it down easily. My heart was beating very strongly, seeing him naked in front of me, waiting for me, with that body hot as the underworld, which promised to drag me into madness, tempting me in many ways.

"You are so freaking hot," I barely said, with the bit of breath I had.

"What?" he chuckled. "Come here."

I smiled excitedly and settled on him, his heat enveloping me, and I letting him in, so invasive. I was going to make him mine with passion and ardor. I was going to let him explore and satisfy his curiosity.

I wanted to make him see and feel that I loved him madly, but he was not far behind in showing it too. Everything was kisses, caresses, and sweet words of love. I felt him completely. He gasped, sighed, and choked soft moans and growls of pleasure against my mouth, reminding me, once again, that he was not a human man at all. His fangs and the tips of his pointed nails brushing against my skin were also added to the list. I loved it. It was all part of him.

***

I was panting under him after touching the sky full of pleasure, a victim of his waving movements. Those narrow and sharp hips had made me lose myself. It was as if he had learned right away what it was that made me enjoy it the most. I bit my lower lip as he kissed my neck. It had been even more intense than before.

"Hum..." he purred. "Yes! I love this. I love hearing you enjoy it like this." I chuckled. "I love your taste, the smell, the sound. Your beautiful body, sucking me and making me yours, your beautiful breasts. You're so hot inside, and I can't help but melt into you and lose myself." He was so explicit and innocent at the same time. "I could swear I'm the most powerful man in the world when I lose my sanity inside you."

I chuckled as he kissed my neck.

"I feel the same," I said. "I explode around you, and my world hangs by a thread that only you hold."

I stroked his hair, my hand went down on his back, turned my face a little, and kissed his cheek. He sighed, laid his forehead against mine, and smiled. I caressed his face. We looked at each other with love. I could feel it.

"I love you," he whispered. "By doing this... I feel that feeling fulfilled. I feel like it's another new way of showing it to you too... I feel so many things."

"I know. I also feel all that and more," I answered in the same way.

He kissed me gently and stirred with a soft growl of pleasure. I smiled, releasing my lips from him. He turned, and I ended up on top of him, settling my face on his chest.

Before, I didn't think I would have something like that with someone so easily. I always believed that I would have too much modesty, that I would not dare too much, and that later I would even change my way of being or my world perspective. But I thought of Sirius, and everything disappeared. With him, I wanted to try it all. I wanted to give him everything. However, I had not yet finished assimilating it because it was so beautiful.

"Uh, give me a second," I asked him. "I also want to take a quick bath," I excused myself. "I don't want to bother you..."

"What? Your smell fascinates me," he assured. "As you are, I would run through your body again. It doesn't matter."

I blushed and chuckled.

"Okay, well. I would kiss you with sweat and everything too. Remember what I told you? Wait for me here."

I stood on, resting my hands on his pectorals. He wrapped his arms around my waist and sat up, pressing me against his body and burying his face between my breasts. I laughed again as he lay back on the mattress, still with me against his face.

"Sirius," I complained between laughs.

He just purred in response. I leaned on the bed, pulling away. He smiled at me mischievously, took my face, and pulled me to kiss me gently.

"You fascinate me. Your body fascinates me too," he confessed in a whisper against my lips.

"I love yours; you know it. I'll be right back."

I just rinsed quickly to be fresh, although I loved having his masculine scent in me. That way, it was faster for me to leave in the morning for the laboratory.

When I left, I stared at him. He was waiting for me like a god in bed: that body and those muscles. I turned off the light and went to him naked, without any shame, knowing that he could see me perfectly even though it was dark. I crawl against his bare chest and entwine my legs with his. I was going to sleep naked with him whenever I could. I had no doubts.

I approached his lips to continue kissing him and filling him with me so that, if possible, my aroma would stay with him until the next day, and everyone could smell it on him.

I soon remembered seeing him looking out into the forest and sighed. He stroked my hair, relaxing me and barely making me smile.

"Let's have another date," I muttered and looked at him. "We can go to the nearby forest and have a picnic."

He smiled a little more.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Today, I saw you looking at it." I couldn't help feeling guilty. "Do you miss your city?"

His lips tightened.

"It's okay. I know I'm coming back. Don't worry about me. I worry about you."

"You know I can't help but worry about you. You don't want to carry everything by yourself. We are a team and love and take care of each other." I gave him one more kiss.

"I'm fine. As I said, I'm going back." He smiled. "And, with you. That is if you still want to..."

"Yes, of course." I gave him two kisses in a row, making him smile widely.

"Today, I remembered that pollinate day is coming."

"Huh?"

He rested his elbow on the mattress to see me better, continuing to caress me.

"It's the day some of us dance to the bees."

I smiled widely too.

"Oh wow! Do you dance for the bees? I want to see that. How is it?"

"Well, musicians play, of course, and I think all young people know the steps. The steps are simple, like moving the shoulders, jumping from here to there, and things like that." I loved him and his colorful culture. "Adults don't do it anymore, though. Kids do."

"Awe, I would have liked to see you."

He chuckled.

"I was not there sometimes, for training reasons, but..." He shrugged his shoulder briefly. "Yeah, it was one of the few things considered fun, you know. We don't have fun often. There is work to do. I'll take you to watch it when we're there. Also, to the moon festival."

I sighed. It made me incredibly happy to know about him. I wanted him to tell me anecdotes about his life. I wanted to know what he did, plus his festivities that seemed quite different from ours.

"I love you so much," I whispered to him, kissing him again.

My slow kisses became passionate again. His skin flared up again under my skin. His hands roamed my body as I, too, ventured to touch everything my hands could reach.

My hand went down. It was again eager to get into the sweet action. He gasped barely at my touch and smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"Wow," I murmured. "You are a vigorous and insatiable young man..."

"Sorry, it's not voluntary..."

I smiled and shook my head. I went back to kissing him passionately, more than willing to make him mine again.

********